Where to Stay in Montana: Best Bases for Glacier and Yellowstone

In Montana, where you sleep decides how much of each day you spend driving. Glacier's west entrance is about 28 miles from Whitefish and about 32 miles from Kalispell, but the park's east side is a different trip: Many Glacier is about 21 miles from St. Mary, and the drive back to the west side without Going-to-the-Sun Road is about 85 miles. Yellowstone has three Montana entrances, and the towns at each one suit different trips and different seasons.

This guide matches towns to trips: Glacier, Yellowstone, Big Sky, Missoula and Billings. It also covers the in-park lodges, the taxes added to every room, and when to book. We don't recommend individual hotels outside the parks. Distances are road estimates, so treat them as "about".

Glacier National Park: four bases

A good split for a first visit is two nights on the west side and one or two on the east. Going-to-the-Sun Road is not a loop, so staying on one side and doing day trips to the other means long drives. Our Glacier in 3 Days itinerary uses that split.

Inside Glacier: the historic lodges

Glacier's in-park hotels are open only in summer. Xanterra, which runs most of them, has published these dates:

• Lake McDonald Lodge: May 15 to September 28, 2026; May 14 to September 30, 2027.
• Village Inn at Apgar: May 20 to October 2, 2026; May 19 to October 1, 2027.
• Many Glacier Hotel: June 5 to September 21, 2026; June 3 to September 20, 2027.
• Swiftcurrent Motor Inn: June 8 to September 16, 2026; June 8 to September 17, 2027.
• Rising Sun Motor Inn: June 11 to September 13, 2026 and 2027.

Apgar Village Lodge and Motel Lake McDonald are run by a second company, so check their dates separately. Sperry and Granite Park chalets are reached only on foot. Staying at Lake McDonald or Many Glacier saves the morning drive to the trailheads, and in 2026 a lodging reservation also got you into Many Glacier when the valley was full.

Yellowstone: Gardiner, West Yellowstone or Bozeman

• Gardiner sits at the North Entrance and the Roosevelt Arch. Mammoth Hot Springs is about 5 miles away. It is the only entrance open to cars all year, so it is the best winter base, and it is the closest base for wolf watching in the Lamar Valley. Our 2 Days in Yellowstone from Gardiner itinerary starts here.
• West Yellowstone is about 1 mile from the West Entrance. It is closest to the geyser basins: the NPS gives about 30 minutes from the entrance to Madison Junction and 35 to 45 minutes more to Old Faithful. From December 15, 2026, it is the main base for snowmobile and snowcoach trips, since its entrance is closed to cars in winter. Resort tax is 4%.
• Bozeman is about 74 miles from Gardiner and about 90 miles from West Yellowstone. Choose it for flights, a bigger choice of rooms and a day or two in town. It is too far for an early start in the park every day.
• Cooke City, just outside the Northeast Entrance, is the quietest option. In winter the only road in is through the park from Gardiner.

Inside the park on the north side, the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel (just over the line in Wyoming) now stays open from late April to early March: April 24, 2026 to March 8, 2027, and April 23, 2027 to March 6, 2028. Roosevelt Lodge Cabins are open June 4 to September 6, 2027.

Big Sky, Missoula and Billings

Big Sky is about 46 miles from Bozeman's airport and about 51 miles from the West Entrance. In winter it is a ski base for Big Sky Resort. In summer it suits travellers who want hiking and Yellowstone's west side without staying in West Yellowstone. It charges a 4% resort tax.

Missoula is the base for the Bitterroot Valley (Hamilton is about 51 miles south) and the CSKT Bison Range, about an hour north. It is about 137 miles from Glacier's west entrance, too far for day trips to the park. It works as a stopover between the two parks: Kalispell to Bozeman is about 313 miles.

Billings is the base for south-east Montana. Little Bighorn Battlefield is about an hour away by I-90, and Red Lodge is about 61 miles. From late May to mid-October, Red Lodge is the start of the Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone.

Taxes on every room

Montana has no general sales tax, but every hotel, motel, vacation rental and campground night carries the state's 8% lodging tax. Resort towns add their own tax: 4% in West Yellowstone and Big Sky, and 3% in Whitefish, Red Lodge, Virginia City, Cooke City and Gardiner. The area around Whitefish Mountain Resort has its own 3% tax. In practice, a room in Big Sky costs about 12% more than the quoted rate. A room in Kalispell, Bozeman, Missoula or Billings costs about 8% more. Our budget guide has the full table.

When to book

• Glacier's in-park lodges: bookings open up to 13 months ahead. Each month, online booking for the same month of the next year opens at midnight Mountain Time; phone bookings open at 7 a.m. on the first of the month. To keep a full refund, cancel at least 14 days before arrival for stays from May 1 to October 14.
• Yellowstone's in-park lodges: also 13 months ahead, but on the 5th of each month (for example, April 2027 opened on April 5, 2026). Online booking opens at midnight Mountain Time and phone booking at 7 a.m. To keep a full refund, cancel at least 30 days ahead.
• Gateway towns: for July and August, book when you book flights. West Glacier, St. Mary, Gardiner and Cooke City have few rooms, and many close from autumn to spring.
• Campgrounds: most park sites open six months ahead on Recreation.gov. See our camping guide.

Cancellations at the park lodges are common, so check again in the weeks before your trip.

Before you go

• Decide which park entrance you will use most, then pick the town.
• Split Glacier stays between the west and east sides.
• Set reminders for the 1st (Glacier) or 5th (Yellowstone) of the month, 13 months before your trip.
• Add 8% to quoted rates, or 11% to 12% in resort-tax towns.
• In winter, base yourself in Gardiner for driving into Yellowstone or West Yellowstone for oversnow tours.

Details checked October 2026.